Deranged Ranger: Alternate Ending
by Sorida
Summary: An AU of the ending of the episode Deranged Ranger. Better summary inside. Not abandoned and will be updated later in the future.


Summary: The other forest animals went too far, bringing Dag to the brink of death. Norbert arrives to help his brother with only moments to spare. Double-shot. Terrible summary.

A/N: Nobody likes Dag...'cept us fans. I don't know why, but I'm attracted to every obnoxious/funny/insane character. Wait, that all kinda describes me. :D Anyway, ON WITH THE FIC! Also, sorry if I've been totally ruining the show for you, but I tend to lean towards darker fics. This show...has quite a bit of opportunity for me. Don't like this stuff, don't read it. I take no offense. This fic picks up where Norb is talking to the resistance and the others want to attack Dag.

Chapter 1

"Ok, so no hurting my brother, we all clear?" Norb asked the others, just to make sure. Dag was being a spoot-head, but that was no reason to flat out obliterate him.

"Yeah, yeah, we got it Norbert," the squirrel responded, waving his hand dismissively.

"Good. I'm going home now." Norbert walked off in the direction of the dam. He needed some sleep now, especially since Daggett turned into the dictator. As soon as he was out of earshot, the squirrel spoke up again.

"Ok, ready to attack?"

"YEAH!" the other animals cheered.

"Then let's show Daggett who's boss!"

Daggett looked over the forest again making sure he didn't miss anything. Suddenly, he heard shouts coming from the right. He looked down and saw everyone heading towards the lookout. Nervousness overcame his usual bravado as he realized how many were down there, and how many wanted revenge. Soon, animals were throwing things at him and trying to overturn the lookout post. Daggett gripped the sides and clenched his eyes shut hoping it would all be over soon.

Something whizzed past his ear and he cracked open an eye. The animals that weren't trying to knock him down were trying to hurt him as much as possible. A larger stone was thrown and hit his left arm. Hard. Daggett gasped as he heard the sickening crack resound throughout the forest. His arm flopped down to his side, now useless both for balance and defense.

Loud creaks and groans were now being emitted from the tower. Daggett knew he would come crashing down any minute now. Another stone hit its mark, this time being Dag's head. His vision swam as he felt a warm liquid trickle from the top of his head. There was one final crack as he felt his descent. One thought was left in his head: his brother wasn't there. Norbert was innocent.

Norbert sat alone in the dam watching one of his favorite B-movies of all times, The Curse of the Radioactive Chihuahua. Just as his favorite part began to play, he heard screaming and a loud crash. Instinctively (thanks to Dag's antics), Norb immediately got up from the couch and bolted to the door. Opening it quickly, he looked around. Everything seemed normal, trees, flowers, the angry mob of animals cheering where Dag's tower used to be-wait, used to be? Norbert's eyes widened in realization and ran out of the house to the now destroyed tower.

"DAG!"

"You see him?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna touch him."

"Why not?"

"Do you see all that blood?"

"Is he even breathing?"

"Dunno. Don't really care either."

Daggett could hear everything going on from beneath the rubble. He was in so much pain and he saw something white sticking out of his arm...he didn't want to think about it. He heard a distant shout. Then again, everything was becoming way too distant. But, it sounded way more caring than any of the other voices he heard.

"Dag!"

"Norb?" he whispered weakly. Everything was slipping away. His vision became fuzzy as he tried to look out underneath the rubble. He gasped as he moved his head slightly. So much pain coursing through his body. Then, he heard it again.

"DAG!" He heard footsteps coming his way. *So he does care.* Dag thought as he smiled. Soon, he saw the bright light of the sun bearing down upon him once again. He heard some gasps as pounds of wood left his body. He could see Norbert standing over him.

"Norb..." Daggett whispered once more before falling into the welcoming sea of black.

"Dag? Daggett?" Norbert said softly picking up his brother's body. He was still breathing, but much shallower and labored than usual. Norbert could see the sickening sight of bone poking through Daggett's normally brown fur. Normally being the key word. His coat was matted with twigs and blood. Norb couldn't look any longer. He closed his eyes and turned towards the other animals.

"Are you happy now?" he asked quietly at first, tears threatening to escape his eyes. "Are you?" he shouted at them, opening his eyes to reveal infuriated black irises. The others cringed at the sudden volume change and harshness of the words. It was then that they had realized their mistake: They had gone too far. And now there was nothing they could do to take it all back. Some walked away while others hung their heads in shame. As much of a pain as Daggett had been, he didn't deserve this. Neither did Norbert.

Norbert scanned the remaining crowd, but couldn't find the fox. The only ones who stepped forward to help him were Barry, Bing, Treeflower, and Stump (but he hadn't really done anything in the first place, or Treeflower for that matter).

"Norbert, I'm so sorry." Treeflower said as she walked towards him. Norbert turned away from her and back to his brother. Dag didn't have too much time left. Norbert carefully picked up his brother and turned back to the remaining four.

"Come on," he said, "we should probably get him to one of those veterinarians as fast as possible." With that, the group ran towards the city. Barry carried Daggett most of the way since it was much easier and faster for him than if Norbert had the whole way. Dag stirred once but only to administer a gasp of pain and then fall back into unconsciousness. After what seemed like an hour to Norbert, they reached the animal clinic. Norb took his brother once again and walked through the doors.

Norbert glanced around and quickly spotted the receptionist. He ran towards the desk as carefully as he could. "Excuse me," he started, "my brother, he's severely injured and I need to get him to see a vet." The woman running the desk looked down and gasped. She quickly whipped out her walkie-talkie and soon, Daggett was in the hands of the vet. They rushed him into one of the back rooms, the ones reserved for emergencies only. Norbert wasn't allowed in. He did catch a couple snippets of information through the door.

"...three cracked ribs, four fractured. Poor guy..."

"...severe head wound?"

"...arm useless for laborous tasks..."

"...tail is...not looking good...hard time using it..."

"...internal bleeding..."

"He will survive, right?" Norbert froze, waiting in anticipation for the vet's reply.

"...needs to be more careful...yes, he'll live..." Norbert exhaled just as the door actually opened. He looked up, awaiting the report from the vet.

"You are his brother, right?" the vet asked.

"Yeah, Dag's my brother. So how is he?" Norb mentally kicked himself. *That is such a soap-opera thing to say.* he thought.

"Well, he'll have to stay overnight just to make sure he's stable. Poor fella, he has three cracked ribs and four fractured, fractured arm, a concussion, a bit of internal bleeding and quite a bit of external. Also, we found some past injuries. Mostly scars. Any idea of where those are from?"

"Well, he does fall a lot..."

"But anyway, he will live. He'll just have to be more careful with himself. He should be awake soon. I'll let you see him if you like." Norbert nodded and followed the vet into the room. He gasped as he saw Daggett lying on the small bed.

Tubes were hooked up to him and a breathing mask was covering his nose and mouth. His head was wrapped securely in a white bandage and his left arm was in a cast. Norbert cautiously walked up to his brother. It scared him to see Dag so...weak. So vulnerable. So...quiet. This wasn't the Dag he knew. Norb rest his hand on Daggett's good arm, wishing the best for his brother. The whole scene reminded him of when he and Daggett tricked the other into believing that they were sick. He remembered how scared he had been when Dag seemed to be dying. He remembered how relieved (and angered) he had been when Dag cheerfully announced, "I was faking too!" But this time, there was a difference. This time, Norb knew Dag wasn't faking. This time, it was real.

The vet took pity on Norbert and allowed him to stay the night. Norb told the others they could return home and they did so reluctantly. He returned to Dag's room and was overjoyed by what he saw. Dag had (weakly) opened his eyes. The first thing he saw: Norbert. He smiled a bit as his brother walked over to his bedside.

"It's going to be ok Dag." Norbert said reassuringly. Daggett smiled back and drifted off to sleep with the knowledge that nothing could hurt him as long as his brother was beside him.

A/N: Awe, brotherly moment! I would like to tell you that this is not a slash type fic. Any romance that I do is so screwed up that nobody understands any of it! Look out for the next chapter where I make Dag really OOC. There is a reason why though... The next update won't be for a while so please be patient! Also, other fics are coming out all this week. This is kind of like my own intro into the fanfic world so look out for a lot of oneshots and (hopefully soon) multichapters! Dang, I feel like a freaking commercial!


End file.
